Media.Knet.Ca

This blockade has the support of local non-native residents in the region.

From the Kingston Whig-Standard ...

Mine protesters spurn injunction
Steve Serviss - September 01, 2007

More than 200 native and nonnative people shouted down a sheriff who was delivering a court order that called for the immediate removal of a blockade at a proposed uranium mine north of Sharbot Lake.

Superior Court Justice Gordon Thomson had issued the written order Monday.

Yesterday, two sheriffs, escorted by Ontario Provincial Police, were met on the road outside the mine by Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations warriors who would not allow the court officers on the property. The mine is located off Highway 509 about 12 kilometres north of Sharbot Lake.

The court order was delivered verbally by a sheriff standing on the road in front of the crowd, most of whom were blocking the mine entrance. As the sheriff issued the order, the crowd drummed, chanted and yelled.

Shabot Obaadjiwan war chief Earl Badour, who oversees the security of the protesters at the site, said he met the officers with a group of about 24 warriors.

"I said to them we were not speaking," said Badour.

Badour then signalled for the native flag to be turned upside down as a symbolic gesture that "all natives are in distress. And the government has put them all in distress," he said.

After the order was delivered, the sheriffs left, with the police escort. Because of the blockade, they did not attempt to post the order on the fence.

The group of protesters, both native and non-native, numbered about 200. Native leaders have said they want a peaceful resolution through negotiations and not through court injunctions.

They also say they are not leaving. Residents and Algonquins oppose the mining site because of environmental concerns such as potential contamination of the water table.

The Algonquins also say the provincial government was wrong to have allowed the mining company, Frontenac Ventures, to prospect for uranium on the site because the land belongs to the aboriginals.

Frontenac Ventures is suing the Algonquins for $77 million and is seeking a court injunction to have the protesters removed from the land. The interim injunction order issued this week stands until a full hearing Sept. 20.

The OPP said they have no plans to move in on the protesters this weekend. They visited the site yesterday to assist the sheriff's office, said OPP Const. Paige Whiting.

The OPP will continue to keep officers posted on Highway 509. If they intend on taking any action, including negotiations, Whiting said, police will contact native leaders.

"The OPP will keep open lines of communication and consult all parties involved," said Whiting. "There will be no hasty action at this time."

The blockade began June 29. Police have since brought in a command post, a large OPP trailer, which is located at the Sharbot Lake detachment.

Whiting said the OPP has also supplemented its local roster with officers from neighbouring counties because monitoring the blockade requires additional staff.

"Fortunately, it's been peaceful," she said.

The OPP will continue to consult with lawyers to determine its future plans.

Algonquin war chief Badour said his group will continue a "non-confrontational" approach and welcome more talks with police and the government, but on its terms and outside of court.

The Algonquins' attempts to bring the premier and the province into direct negotiations over the uranium site have been unsuccessful.

The protests have also caught the attention of an organization that works to conserve peace. Members of the Christian Peacemakers Team International visited the site yesterday. Co-director Doug Pritchard said his group will discuss whether to become involved.

"Our mission is violence reduction and to achieve peace," said Pritchard.

The group is already assisting aboriginal groups in Kenora who are embroiled in a logging dispute.

As the peacemaker group decides if it will become involved, more area residents are supporting the blockade even in the wake of the injunction order.

Perth resident John Miller opposes the uranium mine and visits the blockade three to four times a week .

"I have been here since the beginning of the altercation to give the First Nations support for their action," said Miller.

He worries about the environmental impacts of a uranium mine and plans to continue to support the First Nations groups going forward. Area resident Linda Harvey, a retired family physician, also adamantly supports the First Nations' blockade because of the environmental impact of the proposed mine. If required, she is willing to make a statement by joining the fight on the front line. "I am absolutely behind the blockade," she said. "If the [First Nations] are taken out, then we'll come in."

The relationship between the natives and non-natives over this issue is clearly strengthening.

Badour has been at the site for 61 days, leads the warriors, and says he can call on other native groups for support. Though he is the war chief, Badour said his role is one of protector, a role that also extends to the local residents, also referred to as settlers.

"My role is to protect my chief, my people and the settlers," said Badour.

Local support by residents is having an affect. At the mine site, about 80 vehicles lined the roads for the protest yesterday. Many non-natives wore bright yellow T-shirts with a slogan "no uranium mine, there is a better solution."

In the hours that passed after the officers had left, the crowd seemed jubilant and relaxed. Several rings of people gathered outside the mine gates recounting the sheriff's visit.

People snapped photos of each other arm in arm, some shared cigarettes, others took a video they admitted they would share with friends. They even rushed over to listen to a radio report that recounted the action.

All the while, people and vehicles flowed in and out of the mine site, each time defying the court order.

Inside the gates, there are several outbuildings of the decommissioned Robertson mine. The Algonquins occupy a small construction trailer and several tents, and depending on the time of day, there are anywhere from 10 to 50 people inside.

Outside the gates, there are five tents for sleeping, two porta-potties and a larger tent used for meetings where native leaders remained in discussions following the departure of police.

Most of the talk late in the afternoon centred on the Ardoch Algonquins' weekend powwow. People were heading over to set up at that site, about six kilometres away. Police planned to have their auxiliary run security for the event, as for any other local event. sserviss@thewhig.com